For most parameters there is no prescribed frequency. The obligation is to have a testing plan that is justified by a hazard analysis and that is reviewed, which is what the food safety management standards ask for and what an authority will ask to see. Sampling for verification against microbiological criteria is the main area where Union legislation is prescriptive, and process hygiene criteria carry their own frequencies.
A workable frequency model
| Situation | Typical approach |
|---|---|
| New supplier, first three consignments | Full parameter set on every consignment |
| Established supplier, documented history | Reduced set on a defined proportion of consignments |
| Parameter with a legal limit and known risk | Every consignment, accredited laboratory |
| Routine physical and sensory parameters | Every batch, in-house |
| Verification of in-house results | Defined proportion sent out each year |
What resets the clock
- A change of growing region, crop year, sub-supplier or processing site.
- A change of recipe, process step, packaging structure or shelf life.
- An out-of-specification result, a complaint or a border rejection anywhere in the category.
- A change in the applicable limit, or a new entry in the Union’s increased-controls list for a product and origin.
Frequency reduction has to be earned and written down. Reducing testing because nothing has gone wrong, without a record of what the history actually is, is the most common finding in this area.
Which parameters belong at origin and which on arrival is covered in the laboratory testing guide. Vorezan is an information platform and not a laboratory; take your own advice on a specific plan.